Eagle One A2Z review

9

99323ic

New member
I finally have a 2 day (dry) weekend to work on my car and because of timimg, have not been able to care for my baby as I should (how un-Autopian of me!). Due to my lack of attention, the whels had gotten really black/brown wth brake dust and grime. Normally, I've used EF HI, but I'm completely out and needed something from a local source. I found it at PepBoys for $5.47 a bottle. I'd read enough good things about it here to give it a try. All I can say is that I'm impressed.



I wetted down the wheel with a strong blast of water and liberally sprayed the A2Z on the tire and wheel. I let it sit for about 1 minute and then used a scrub brush to work around the tire, generating a nice (black, yucky!) lather. I then ended up using an OralB soft toothbrush to work around the studs holding the wheel together (I've got BBS RSII (stock) rims on my Wolfsburg) and used a combination of the toothbrush and a (junked out) mf towel on the rest of the surfaces. Using a strong spray of water, I liberally rinsed the wheel and looked for spots that I may have missed.



While washing the rest of the car, I re-washed the wheels with EF PW+ to make sure that I got all of the A2Z off the wheel. Based on some of the posts about this product, I was concerned that it was not Ph balanced and did not want to cause further problems down the road.



I've got to say that they look like new. I'm very impressed, and I think that I've converted from the EF HI to the A2Z for this particular cleaning task. That's saying a lot for me, since I tend to stick with what I've got once I find something that works.



Afterwards, I noticed that I'd used 1/2 of the bottle, but I think that I overdid it a bit since my wheels were so cruddy. But at that price, I figure that $2.75 per wash (or about $0.69 per wheel), it's pretty reasonable. I wonder if they have it by the gallon? :p
 
jimwh,



You actually applied A2Z incorrectly. It's to be applied to a DRY cool wheel. Agitate. Then rinse with a powerful stream.



Either way, it work so that's what counts!



Paco
 
Paco -



Yes I did note that in the instructions, but I felt that a little trick that Richard Griot noted about his wheel cleaner was to wet the wheel and tire first. The water helps wick the cleaner into the crevices better and also helps to create a lathering action.



Like you said, as long as it works!!
 
Glad you like A2Z Jim! Another member (who shall remain anonymous :D) was using it on wet wheels and didn't think it was that great of a product until I told him to use it on dry wheels. You'll find it to be much stronger probably because it's not being diluted. Watch as the brake dust starts running off. :D Heavier dust always needs a bit of scrubbing of course.



BTW, 1/2 a bottle is pretty excessive I think. I don't seem to use all that much even on wheels that have turned brown in spots.



:bow A2Z - when they say spray on, and hose off they're not kidding!
 
Huh, I'd never noticed it says to apply to a dry wheel. It works pretty well on a wet one.



Out of curiosity since you have BBS wheels, do they recommend a "BBS-approved" wheel cleaner? I've only seen Griot's and Meguiar's make that claim, but didn't know if BBS includes any sort of recommendation with their wheels.
 
Aurora40 - My VW manual makes no mention of using a BBS approved cleaner. In fact, they don't even mention BBS. Go figure!
 
I like how it deep cleans your tires so when you apply tire dressing you get a jet black effect opposed to browning that occurs without it. You can see all the filth spray off your tires that A2Z has lifted. I'm sold.
 
I do like my A2Z too, but use it on wet wheels since it dilutes the solution. Was afraid at using it on dry wheels because i thought that it was too acidic, well, because of the smell.



Oh, that i hate, the smell. So be sure to use it where air can really circulate.



Since you guys have used it on dry wheels and haven't experience anything bad, then it will give me the courage :.



Cheers.:xyxthumbs
 
I found some A2Z foam spray at BigLots for $2.49/can. I tried it the other day and it seams to work just as well as the liquid in the orange bottle. So...I went back and bought every can!
 
The A2Z foam may be the old formulation was acidic. The newer "orange" formulation is quite alkaline and much safer.



Any know for sure which formulation is the canned version?
 
4DSC said:
Another member (who shall remain anonymous :D) was using it on wet wheels and didn't think it was that great of a product until I told him to use it on dry wheels.
Click to expand...



Gee, thanks Brian! ;)



Yeah, it works much better on tough dust stains if the wheel is dry. I was having trouble with a set of wheels from a 93 Integra which probably never had its wheels cleaned. The first time I used A2Z, I wet the wheels first, and couldn't get all of the dust off. Then I tried it dry, and voila, worked like a charm.



I would agree with Brian that 1/2 bottle seems excessive, escpecially if you use it every time you wash. I probably use 1/3 bottle for really bad wheels. I never use it any more on my own car, or cars which I regularly detail, since the first thing I do after a good cleaning is to apply #20 to the wheels. After that, just plain old car wash soap will remove every, even if the wheels are all black after a month without a wash.
 
lynxowner said:
Oh, that i hate, the smell. So be sure to use it where air can really circulate.
Click to expand...
.....but be really cautious about using this stuff (or any wheel cleaner actually) when it's windy. I actually think ZERO wind is much better because then the mist doesn't go anywhere but on the ground or on the wheel. If you have to use it when there's a breeze out be sure to stay upwind.
2wheelsx2 said:
Gee, thanks Brian! ;)
Click to expand...
:doh :doh :wall :p
 
After reading the glowing reviews in this thread, I went out and purchased the EO A2Z (orange bottle) at my local WM. Following the directions on the bottle and as pointed out on this thread, I applied to the cool dry wheels of F-i-L's '96 T-Bird factory wheels. I agitated briefly to work the back side of the wheel and rinsed. I did this step tire by tire (read 1 at a time). Initial results looked very favorable, very shiny and clean wheels.



All was well until the wheels were dried. The shine is gone, and replaced instead with milky looking streaks. :confused:



Where did I go wrong? What might I do to rectify the problem and restore the wheels to their original appearance. I had been using a 50/50 solution of Simple Green, with good results, previously.
 
Did you rinse and wash off the wheels well after using A2Z. Sounds like you left some residue on the wheels. I would try washing and then using a paint cleanser on the wheels.
 
All was well until the wheels were dried. The shine is gone, and replaced instead with milky looking streaks.
Click to expand...





I had this happen when I first tried A2Z on my new polished aluminum wheels. This may not be your problem, but it seems some of the A2Z was getting trapped in my lug holes and would eventually drip out, leaving the streaks you mentioned. So next time, I just made sure I rinsed the lug holes thoroughly and that solved it. Some of the solution must be staying in one place too long to leave the stains like that. Hope this helps. :nixweiss
 
Each wheel was rinsed very well immediately following the A2Z treatment and again along with the rest of the car's final rinse.
 
paco said:
The A2Z foam may be the old formulation was acidic. The newer "orange" formulation is quite alkaline and much safer.



Any know for sure which formulation is the canned version?
Click to expand...



the new formulation has a pH of 13-14, very basic. Don't have any of this stuff staying on skin for a long time, be sure to rinse hands/feet/etc throughly. There's warnings galore on the bottle....I like it and use it nonetheless :).





edit: after reading bjwebster's post reminded me that I've used it on my car only once so far, the first time. After that everything was easy to clean with soap and a brush. I use it only on really dirty wheels that the brush can't remove.
 
A2Z Is Some Good Stuff, But Regardless Of The Formula Change, Still Seems Pretty Strong To Me. I Use It On My Winter Wheels WHen It Cant Be Washed Often, And The Dust Builds Up And Piles Up.



What Scares Me About Using It To Often On My Nice Summer Wheels, Is That After Using A2Z 10 or so Times, My Driveway Had 4 Spots With Zero Sealent Left On them. The 4 Spots Were The Exact Spots Where My Wheels Are When I Wash Them. If Its Strong Enough To Remove Driveway Sealent, its STrong Enough To Be Careful With.



imo
 
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